Category: Announcements

Prime Time – It’s my 47th Birthday!

A quick Google search yields many fascinating points about the cultural and scientific significance of prime number 47. One of my favorite factoids is that it was often used as running gag or an easter egg found in dialogue, on tech displays, and in shield percentages in Star Trek episodes. Here I am, referencing Star Trek (TNG, always)! I mean, this is full-on middle age.

Turning 47 feels like entering a new era of life.  It feels like a new beginning, like starting from scratch. As I refine and redefine myself and my purpose, I feel like a child in a big scary world. And yet, I can feel myself growing. 46 was one of the most difficult years of my life. Disappointment, loss, and despair seemed to increase around me daily. But I’m entering my 47th year with the knowledge and experience to weather storms like never before.

As the songs says, “the clouds grow thickest when the summit’s nigh.”

Conducting

Carnegie Hall, March 12-15, 2027

Carnegie Hall, 2019 – Midtown Manhattan, NYC

Become a ZSR Singer, and join me, along with other outstanding choruses from both school and community programs, for rehearsals and an unforgettable performance of Shawn Kirchner’s SONGS OF ASCENT, accompanied by professional orchestra and enhanced by stunning artistic projection.

Under the direction and artistic vision of yours truly, participating singers will take the stage at world-renowned Carnegie Hall (pictured) in New York City – an inspiring milestone that builds confidence, and strengthens musicianship. 

READY TO SIGN UP TO SING WITH ME IN NEW YORK? 

Register here

2027 ZSR SINGERS SUMMER INTENSIVE – ALMOST TIME!

We have a location! We’ll be hosted by Church of the Good Shepherd in Arcadia, and registration opens June 1. Here’s the updated flyer:

Singing

Here’s a snap shot of what it can be like to sing choir music together for fun with people you love!

For Fun

Happy May!

Shawn Kirchner and Zanaida Robles singing together in a home studio
Sing with Shawn and Zanaida at Carnegie Hall… (see above)
Guava flowers on our miracle tree mean lots of guavas this fall.
Biking along the river across the street.
I got an award from my alma mater! CSULB’s “49 Under 49” Award for Distinguished Alumni
Archie, the weird and lovable
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Everyday Task List

(In no particular order)

  1. Do a chore
  2. Pray
  3. Practice/Play
  4. Read/Study
  5. Drink Water
  6. Exercise

I came up with this list about 15 years ago, when my kids were little and I was in graduate school. The definitions and/or requirements for each of these tasks change from time to time, but the basic principle is this: the more consistently I complete the tasks on this list, the more likely I’ll feel peaceful, at ease, and content. Another word for this might be discipline, and discipline is a form of self-care. My chore today was mending a couch pillow – very satisfying after enduring the gaping hole and trails of stuffing for months!

As I’m writing this, I’m reflecting on the fact that I’ve done everything today except practice/play. I tend to rotate unevenly between short spurts of practicing singing, piano, conducting, flute, yoga, and video games – a rotation which works for me. But lately, practicing anything has been tough. Practice involves some disappointment and failure before there’s progress – hard to bare in difficult times. Maybe I keep forgetting the “play” part – that’s the part that makes life fun and bearable.

May our daily disciplines be a source of peace, ease, and fun in difficult times.

This just in!

I’m thrilled to share that I’ve been selected as a recipient of CSULB’s “49 Under 49” award. What an extraordinary honor! See link below to find out more about the history and process of this award.

Read all about it

For Fun

Family and Friends for the win!

…and… Cats!

What are you doing make 2026 work?

Originally part of the January 2026 e-newsletter. Are you on the list? Subscribe here.

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Abundance with Grace

We’re all surviving to the best of our ability. But our abilities and resources differ depending on our circumstance, our history, or our environment. Sometimes a person’s burden is not so obvious, especially in festive settings. So in the midst of both abundance and scarcity, may we strive to pay attention and speak and act graciously with each other this Thanksgiving.

NUUC Christmas Concert – December 19

Enjoy selections from Magnificat by J.S. Bach, plus traditional sing-along favorites you won’t want to miss. Guaranteed to make you smile!

Compositions

Five performances in Colorado, Dec 6-21

Internationally acclaimed guitar virtuoso, composer, and Colorado native Aaron Larget-Caplan joins Kantorei in holiday performances featuring seasonal selections written for Guitar and Choir, including the world premiere of his own Cider Meditations. We will also feature works by composer and guitarist Jeffrey Van, whose compositions gained widespread recognition through his collaborations with the renowned Dale Warland Singers. Adding to the excitement of new musical discoveries, the concert will present the world premiere of a new work by composer Zanaida Robles, commissioned by Kantorei’s own Scott Horowitz and his wife, Leah Weinberg.

Join us as we combine traditional holiday spirit with contemporary compositions, offering audiences both seasonal favorites and the excitement of hearing new works performed for the first time.

Learn More

LA River Scenes – world premiere!

December 16 in Downtown LA

LA River Scenes blends melodies I made up in my childhood and young adult years with impressions from my recent experiences with the LA River Kayak Safari tour company. The LA River Kayak Safari journey begins with a bike ride along the LA river’s edge followed by an fascinating history lesson about the Elysian River Valley and finally an exciting kayak trip down the luscious river with baby rapids and deep pools of up to 10 feet. My piece reflects the love and pride I feel for my hometown and my excitement over discovering I can go kayaking near Dodger Stadium in summer.

Photo of Aron Kallay by Elisa Ferrari

Event Details

For Fun

HALLOWEEN MEMORIES
I decided to go ahead and carve my pumpkin even though it was several days after Halloween had passed. WORTH IT!! 
CHOCOLATE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY
I helped organize this year’s HW Professional Development Interdisciplinary Session “Chocolate Day!” From holding the huge alien fruit pods to tasting the difference between the bitter, slimy-yet-crunchy fresh fruit and the powdery, complex-flavored bean once the fruit was fermented and roasted; to exploring the intersections of history, art, science, and economics and finally tasting and packaging our work: making chocolate with the help of brilliant friends is fun!
I also did some research and found these two songs about chocolate that I’d never heard before:

Chocolate Sundae on a Saturday Night by Doris Day

Chocolate by Soul Patrol

Ollie and Archie, warming our hearts as they warm each other

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Hand with bright yellow nails touching the massive roots of a large old tree, looking upward into its branches.

(Very) Big Tree

Last week I had to get up early for a routine medical check-up in Glendora, not far from my home. Across the street from the medical office is a small park called Big Tree Bicentennial Park. It may be one of the smallest parks around, but it is home to one of the most enormous trees in the whole country! 

Majestic old tree with sprawling roots at Big Tree Bicentennial Park, featuring a commemorative plaque on a stone.

According to the City of Glendora’s website, “The ‘Big Tree’ was planted in the late 1880’s by Mr. Edgar J. Owens, one of Glendora’s early residents. The tree’s botanical name “Ficus Mactophylla” is commonly called Moreton Bay Fig and is named after the Moreton Bay Region of Australia where the species grows naturally.  The tree is known for its large buttress roots, helping it reach approximately 99 feet tall and 47 feet in diameter.”

Perplexity AI sources also say the tree’s extensive roots reportedly reach over 1,200 feet across the 15,000-square-foot park.

Big Tree Park in Glendora, California, with the historic tree and entrance sign visible in the foreground.
Historic plaque describing the Big Tree in Glendora, a Moreton Bay Fig planted in the late 1880s by Edgar J. Owens.

Several years ago, when I first drove by it, I had to stop the car and back up because I couldn’t believe my eyes. So this time, instead of just driving by, and since I had some extra time before work, I decided to park my car, get out, and touch its massive roots. It was so healing and spiritual, majestic and beautiful. If you’ve never seen it, I hope you get a chance to look up Big Tree Park in Glendora and check out this magnificent tree.

Conducting

On Sunday September 21, I had the enormous pleasure of conducting Bel Canto, my high school treble choir from Harvard-Westlake, as the featured guest artists at the Neighborhood UU Church Pasadena 10am service celebrating the bicentennial of the birth of Francis Ellen Watkins Harper: an early Unitarian Universalist Black American writer, abolitionist, suffragist, poet, and teacher. Bel Canto sang The Crocuses by Joanna Mills and Songs for the People by Rosephanye Powell – two works featuring texts by Harper, who was born on November 24, 1825. I also conducted the Neighborhood Chorus on I Thank Thee by Demetrius Robinson with lyrics adapted from a letter Harper wrote to Harriet Beecher Stowe in appreciation of Stowe’s ground-breaking novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The entire service was an extraordinary blend of education, deep spirituality, transformative social justice work, and beautiful artistic expression. Here’s the service, which was live-streamed on Youtube:

Composition

Zanaida holding sheet music titled The Song of Significance by Zanaida Stewart Robles with text by Seth Godin, published by Hinshaw Music

The Song of Significance, the piece I wrote for the LA Master Chorale, is finally here! I jumped for joy when my printed copies arrived in the mail this week.

Open sheet music of The Song of Significance by Zanaida Stewart Robles with text by Seth Godin, showing score and composer biography.
Final page of sheet music for The Song of Significance by Zanaida Stewart Robles, published by Hinshaw Music and Hal Leonard
Learn More
Yummy crawfish boil with my Mommy
Celebrating the start of a new school year with my Harvard-Westlake friends

THREE STAGES OF OLLIE:

(Above…)
Boxed Ollie 
Ollie Disapproving of My Favorite Shoes
Ollie Demands Justice

Wishing you a spectacular fall!

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Choir performance in a church sanctuary: conductor on podium as audience applauds; singers in red stoles under a pipe organ.

August 2025 Newsletter

ZSR Singers

August 10, 2025 marked the 3rd annual Zanaida Stewart Robles Singers Choral Intensive culminating performance during the 10am service at Neighborhood UU Church. Our performance of selection from Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana was one of my favorite church performances of all time! Here’s a link to the video – it’ll make you smile! Also, Felicity’s solo on “Dulcissime” toward the end of the service is just beautiful! 

Composition

Photo: Marielle Hayes Photography

Photo:  Marielle Hayes Photography

I’m so happy to have finished arranging Veni Sancte Spiritus for SSAA voices. Many thanks to Eric Tuan and the Piedmont East Bay Childrens Chorus commisdioning this work. They will premiere it on their “Making History” Concert on Saturday, March 21, 2026 in Berkeley, CA. The SSAA version of Veni Sancte Spiritus will be published in summer 2026.

Learn More About PEBCC

Conducting

My teacher and mentor Dr. Cristian Grases (pictured above left), chair of the Department of Choral and Sacred Music at USC, will play the cuatro with me as I conduct a performance of “Gloria” and “Sanctus” from Misa Criolla by Ariel Ramirez (above right) in celebration of Ingathering at Neighborhood UU Church on Sunday, September 7 at 10am. I am thrilled for our community to be blessed by Dr. Grases’s expertise in the field of Latin American choral music.

Not familiar with the cuatro?  A lovely example of this guitar-like Venezuelan instrument is pictured above, as held by Smithsonian Music.

For Fun

Summer Vibes
LA Master Chorale Artistic Director Grant Gershon imparting Carmina Burana wisdom to the ZSR Singers
Being able to cue up my own music on Spotify in my car is a dream come true!
Cats = love

Hope your summer is wrapping up beautifully!

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